Characterization and Bioinformatics Analysis of Dehydrin(DHN) Gene in Accelerating Bud Dormancy Release during Chilling Treatment of Tree Peony (Paeonia suVruticosa)

To gain more information about the proteins associated with dormancy release in tree peony ´Lu HeHong´ (Paeonia suVruticosa), we isolated a dehydrin gene designated psDHN encoding one of the important proteins involved in these processes using RACE-PCR method. The full length cDNA of psDHN consists of 1187 bp with an open reading frame of 831bp, 114 bp 5´ terminal UTR and 242 bp 3´ terminal UTR ending with a canonical polyadenylylation signal (AATAAA), followed after an additional 26 bp by the poly (A) tail. The deduced amino acid sequence of 229 residues shows similarity to members of the dehydrin (DHN) family. The putative DHN presents a structure typical of DHN proteins that are composed of one consensus Y-segments, a stretch of serine residues, and two lysine-rich repeats (YSK2). The deduced amino acid sequence of psDHN had 59.4%, 54.3%, 56.4%, 56.7%, 58.8%, 49.2%, 54.2%, 53.2%, 53.2% 43.4% and 50.0% identity with hvDHN1, hvDHN2, hvDHN3, hvDHN7, hvDHN9, atDHN, ccDHN1a, ccDHN1b, zmDHN, fs DHN and vvDHN, respectively. Prediction of Signal Peptide of psDHN indicated that on signal peptide was found and possible cleavage site was between 54 and 55. At the same time, Subcellular localization analysis revealed that psDHN protein was possibly located in the nuclear.